Napoleonic Heraldry

General Features

Napoleon did not regulate heraldry or restrict free assumption beyond
his titled nobility. Article 14 of the
decree of March 1, 1808 stated: "Those
of our subjects to whom we shall have granted titles shall not bear arms,
nor have livery other than those specified in the letters-patent of creation."

Napoleonic heraldry is not substantially different from traditional
heraldry, with the notable exception of the charges used to indicate official
functions and positions, and for the toques which replaced coronets. In
other respects, the traditional partitions, tinctures, rules, and charges
were used. A strong sense of hierarchy permeates it: or is ranked above
argent, azure above gules, etc. But, as many grantees were new men, and
the arms often alluded to their life or specific actions, many new or unusual
charges were introduced. Families which previously had arms were usually
granted the same.

Napoleon did not try to introduce marks of cadency. The
decree of March 3, 1810
(art. 11) states: "The name, arms and livery shall pass from the father
to all sons" although the distinctive marks of title could only pass
to the son who inherited it. Again, this applied only to the bearers of
Napoleonic titles.

The rigid system of Napoleonic heraldry did not outlast the Empire,
and was thus applied only 6 years. The 2nd Empire (1852-1870) made no effort
to revive it, although the official arms
of France were again those of Napoleon I.

The list of charges representing ranks or functions is rather long.
Here are a few examples:

Counts: a quarter azure in chief dexter, charged with marks
of the specific rank or function, or.

Countesses: an inescutcheon or in point of honor

Barons: a quarter gules in chief sinister, charged with marks
of the specific rank or function, argent.

Baronesses: an inescutcheon argent in point of honor

Knights: an ordinary gules, charged with the emblem of the Legion
of Honor argent (if applicable, a ring argent otherwise).

The charges on the quarters were specific to the rank held by the individual.
Military counts or barons had a sword per pale on their quarter. Members
of the Conseil d'Etat had a chequy, ministers had a lion's head erased,
prefects had a wall beneath an oak branch, mayors had a wall, landowners
had a wheat stalk, judges had a balance, members of Academies had a palm,
etc. Archbishops had a cross patty throughout, bishops a cross humetty.

The toques were surmounted by ostrich feathers: dukes had 7, counts
had 5, barons 3, knights 1. The number of lambrequins was also regulated:
3, 2, 1 and none respectively.

Members of the imperial family used a mantle gules with a semy of bees
or on the outside, lined with ermine on the inside. High Officers of the
Empire (princes grands dignitaires) had a mantle azure with a semy
of bees or, fringed or, lined ermine, and a cap (bonnet d'honneur)
of ermine and azure over it. Princes were entitled to a mantle azure fringed
or, lined ermine, and surmounted by a coronet of acanthus leaves with a
velvet cap inside surmounted by a small orb or. The mantle of dukes was
azure and lined with vair. The mantle of counts senators was azure lined
with ermine. Other counts, barons and knights were not entitled to mantles.

Cities of the Empire fell into three classes. The cities of the first
class were called bonnes villes. The mayors of the second class
were appointed by the Emperor, those of the third class by the local prefect.

As a curiosity, here are the arms conceded to Carlo-Alberto di Savoja-Carignano,
Count of the French Empire (who would later become king of Sardinia): Gules
a horse salient argent, in chief dexter the quarter of counts-landowners,
namely on a quarter azure an ear of wheat on a stock or.

Napoleon and Bees

Why all those bees in Napoleonic heraldry? The heraldic or
decorative function they serve is clear: they replace the Old Regime's
fleurs-de-lys, especially as a semy on the chiefs of dukes and major cities,
or on the mantles of the imperial family. But why this emblem?

Woodward's Treatise provides the answer: in 1653 in Tournai (now
Belgium), the tomb of the Merovingian king Childeric was discovered. Among
many objects it contained about 300 small objects of gold and grenats,
in the stylized form of eagles. This item is quite typical of Merovingian
art. Jean-Jacques Chifflet, physician to the governor of the Low Countries
at the time, was commissioned to write an account of the discovery, and
guessed that the objects had decorated a royal mantle, were bees, and were
also the antecedents of the French fleurs-de-lys. This theory was hotly
disputed at the time, but it nevertheless led Napoleon to his choice.